DAMARISCOTTA — The Frances Perkins Center will host guided tours of the Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark in Newcastle Saturdays, July 20, Aug. 3 and Sept. 7, according to a news release from the center.
“We are delighted to be able to open the treasured Perkins Homestead to guests,” said Michael Chaney, executive director of the Perkins Center, according the release. “Frances Perkins called this slice of agricultural Maine her one true home, and we hope all those who visit here will feel the same sense of connection to this place that Frances did.”
The Frances Perkins Homestead, named a National Historic Landmark by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell in 2014, is the ancestral home of Frances Perkins, U.S. Secretary of Labor under Franklin Delano Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945. Perkins was the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet and was the principal architect of New Deal programs to combat the Great Depression that improved the lives and working conditions for generations of Americans.
Tours, led by Frances Perkins Center board, staff, and Perkins’ grandson, Tomlin Perkins Coggeshall, will provide a glimpse of the site’s history as a working farm, brickyard, and home to many generations of the Perkins family since the mid-18th century, including Frances Perkins, its most notable member.
Two tour times are available each day. The 9 a.m. tour lasts three hours and includes the Homestead and a walk to the Damariscotta River. The 1:30 p.m. tour lasts two hours and includes only the Perkins home.
Sturdy walking shoes and a hat are recommended, bottled water and light refreshments will be provided.
Tours will cost $22 per person, registration is required.
To register, visit francesperkinscenter.org, email info@francesperkinscenter.org or call the center at 563-3374.
The Homestead buildings are not handicap accessible. Those who have mobility issues and wish to visit can call 563-3374 for more information and assistance.
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